Lallana set to snub Liverpool after Southampton pledge

Southampton captain Adam Lallana has hinted that he wants to stay at St Mary's Stadium next season.

Liverpool have been linked with a £20 million move for the England midfielder, with Manchester United and Chelsea also said to be in the hunt for his signature.

But speaking as he collected three awards at Southampton's end of season ceremony, Lallana told fans that his future remains on the south coast.

"The club means the world to me. I've been here since I was 12 and I want to keep progressing with the club," he said. "I've got a great relationship with the fans. We've been on a journey, and this is the icing on the cake."

Lallana is admired by Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers, who is understood to have been promised a sizeable transfer fund for squad strengthening in the summer as the Merseyside club look forward to Champions League football for the first time since 2010.

However, Monday's 3-3 draw with Crystal Palace, which saw Liverpool all but throw away the Premier League title, highlighted a need for defensive improvements, with Rodgers reportedly tracking a series of players including Schalke's Kyriakos Papadopoulos and Cardiff's Steven Caulker.

Lallana was voted players' player of the season and also picked up the award for goal of the season, but the 25-year-old used his speech to pay tribute to injured team-mate Jay Rodriguez.

The England striker suffered a knee injury against Manchester City last month which has ruled him out of Roy Hodgson's squad for Brazil.

"I'm humbled to receive an award that's been voted for by the rest of the lads," Lallana said. "[Rodriguez] had my vote tonight. If he's watching we're all grateful for what he did and we feel his pain."

Lallana, who has scored nine Premier League goals for Southampton this season, is almost certain to feature in England's World Cup team, with Hodgson due to announce his preliminary squad on May 12.